Skip to main content

Veterans Parkway (Washoe County, Nevada)

By


Veterans Parkway is an approximately nine-mile expressway corridor which links the city Sparks to southeast Reno.  The corridor begins at the intersection of Sparks Boulevard/Greg Street in Sparks and extends south to Nevada State Route 341 (Geiger Grade Road) in Reno.  Veterans Parkway was conceived as the SouthEast Connector in 1954 and was approved by Washoe County in 1964.  The corridor was shelved for several decades until being revisited during 2007-2010.  Phase II of the SouthEast Connector opened to traffic during July 2018 which made Veterans Parkway a fully functional arterial highway. 




Part 1; the history of Veterans Parkway

Veterans Parkway was a corridor first proposed as the SouthEast Connector for the southeast Reno area during 1954.  The propose was to serve as an arterial road from Sparks south to the vicinity of Mount Rose Highway and the Geiger Grade.  The corridor was approved during 1964 but was ultimately shelved for several decades. 

The SouthEast Connector concept began to regain momentum in 2007 when the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County ordered an alignment study.  The Phase I corridor alignments were approved as a partial access control expressway between 2008-2010.  The Phase II corridor was approved during 2013.

Phase I of the SouthEast Connector included a bridge over the Truckee River in Sparks and much of the actual road north of the Geiger Grade (now Nevada State Route 341).  The final 5.5 miles of Phase II was complete on July 6, 2018.  The SouthEast Connector since completion has been rebranded as Veterans Parkway.  



Part 2; a drive on Veterans Parkway

The corridor of Veterans Parkway can be accessed from Interstate 80 Exit 20 and turning south onto Sparks Boulevard.  Southbound Veterans Parkway formally begins in Sparks at the intersection of Sparks Boulevard and Greg Street.  The highway climbs above the 2014 era Truckee River Bridge and enters unincorporated Washoe County.  





Veterans Parkway enters the city of Reno at Pembroke Drive.




The populated portions of Veterans Parkway in Reno which were part of Phase I have 35 MPH nighttime speed limits.  These speeds are due to the presence of wild horses and pedestrian heavy features which line the roadway.  The corridor continues south and terminates at a roundabout located at the Geiger Grade (Nevada State Route 341).  













Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more